cfposi Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Begin is 185lbs. Primeua is like 215. You can't win with a bunch of smurfs. As seen in the last 10 years. So the point again is the Habs need size and grit. They should also go out and get a real goon. I am not the biggest fan of Begin (he just can't score), but the fact that he is 185 lbs should not be used to judge him. He may be 185...but he plays like he is 300 lbs...would Primeau bring that kind of heart? Maybe...but we have that guy already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Begin is 185lbs. Primeua is like 215. You can't win with a bunch of smurfs. As seen in the last 10 years. So the point again is the Habs need size and grit. They should also go out and get a real goon. Where would you play the goon if there are 50 threads of player linups and we still can't get all the talented players in for some ice time? I'd rather be a Leaf fan then watch a "real goon" get ice time over Grabovski or Kostitsyn2. :puke: Ok ok, the leaf fan line was excessive. I'd Rather be a MLB fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nasty Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 (edited) I would take Primeau in a heart beat. I do agree the Habs need a big goon too. Anyone that thinks small tough guys that don't fight will get you just as much...look at Anaheim. The Cup Champs manhandled the league with fights last season. Having tough players and the odd fighter makes everyone else on your team bigger and play with more of an edge...it's infectious. BTW, here is Ek's Habs free agent forcaster. Enjoy. Habs fans would have Gainey's head if he traded either Higgins or Komi to move up and get Espo. He also doesn't realize Higgins plays the left wing. http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=8003 Edited June 13, 2007 by Mr. Nasty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Simple, the talented players have to be the talented players. They aren't. Kosty will play with Pleks and Higgins. I'll remind you once they were put together they were the Habs best line. Primeua can play with Chipchura and Johnson or young 3rd line RW 4th line is Begin lapierre Boogard. Grabovski is a center, so one will have to move if he is to get time next year. Again, he is another smurf who gets hit alot. Like it or not, the bigger tougher teams dominate the other teams in the league. Please know one say Buffalo is small, they aren't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 WOW Look at this crap from Eklund: "The Montreal Canadiens Free Agent Forecaster MONEY TO SPEND TO $50M: $28M (6RFAs) SPENDING TENDANCIES: The Habs spent 98% of last year’s cap and have shown that they aren’t afraid to spend. They are a young team and are likely to get even younger. The Habs are trying to build a Sabres-esque team of speed and may not have to sepnd that much to do so given the success that Hamilton had this past season. HOLES TO FILL: Defensively, Sheldon Souray will likely move on and his points are going to be hard for the current crop to pick up. Offensively the Habs lack a real sniper and need to score goals in all sorts of ways, many of which are ugly. Higgins is going to be a very good player, and Latendresse has shown signs of brilliance despite the early pressure that was on him to be a star out of the gate. The Habs need to make a pitch for a big name UFA this summer and land him. KEY UFA’s Up For Grabs: Sheldon Souray: Obviously an offensive force, but many times Habs fans have told me that he is a defensive liability. Sheldon is a big ticket in the new NHL because he moves the puck so well and will make an immediate impact on a team’s power play. We all saw this past season that a team like the Sabres essentially lost due to a lackluster power play. Radek Bonk: I am a fan of Bonk. I feel Radek spent most of his career miscast as a speedy scorer, these pst few years he has actually turned into a solid all around player who can score but can also play experienced defense. Mike Johnson: I was not a huge fan of Johnson in Phoenix. I was kind of shocked when the Habs got him actually. Johnson is streaky, but at times very lapsed. Still young enough to straighten out however, because the talent is there. Trade Bait: There is no secret that the Habs want Esposito out of this draft and I couldn’t agree with them more. The Montreal kid is exactly what is missing from the team and I do believe that Espo would light up the city for years to come. He is being WAY under-valued in the current draft rankings and it goes to show you that we have learned nothing from Phil Kessel. Sometimes players develop quickly and become targets. This is clearly what happened to Esposito. The Habs have been rumoured to be dangling Higgins in an attempt to move up. Another possibility would be Komisarek. Current Depth Chart: The following players are placed where I believe they fall. This gives you an idea of what the Habs could be looking for…and what they could move if they have say 2, #2 centers. Centers 1. Saku Koivu 2. Christopher Higgins RFA 3. Tomas Plekanec RFA 4. Steve Begin 5. Garth Murray 6. Maxim Lapierre Left Wings 1. _________________ 2. _________________ 2. Guillaume Latendresse 3 . _________________ 4. . Sergei Samsonov Right Wings 1.__________________ 2. Michael Ryder RFA 2. Alexei Kovalev 3. ______________ 4. Alexander Perezhogin RFA 5. Andrei Kostitsyn Defensemen 1. ______________ 2. Andrei Markov 3. Mike Komisarek RFA 4. Mark Streit 5. Francis Bouillon 6. Josh Gorges RFA 6. Mathieu Dandenault Goalies 1. 2. Cristobal Huet 3. Jaroslav Halak Youngsters who could make an impact: Carey Price: Not could, but WILL make an impact. In fact I am hearing that he will have every opportunity to be the #1 goalie for the Habs this season. This will leave the Habs with some serious decisions to make. Huet and Halak have both been very good, but as one scout said, “Price can be great.” Much credit has to be given to the Habs for making this “unpopular” at the time draft selection. Many thought Price was taken way too high given the Habs current situation. Kyle Chipchura: Big and tough, and a born leader. His knock has been that he takes games off, but he also has a tendency to have an extra gear when it really counts…He is the kind of player the Habs need however. He is a solid checking center that can tie up big players on the opposing team. Andrei Kostitsyn: This will be a big camp for Andrei. The speedy highly touted pick spent much of last year working on his game away from the puck and it showed with a remarkable improvement in his +/- in the AHL…raising 40 points over the previous season from a -14 to a plus 24. Even in 22 games with the Habs he managed to be a +3 on a team where many forwards were big-time minuses. However, Andrei only netted a single goal with the big club. UFA’s the HAbs are targeting: Daniel Briere: There is no secret to this, although some have told me that Briere may not want to play in Montreal, I have also heard others who say he does. So, when that many mixed signals and rumours are flying around you have to chalk it up to speculation and only Dan really knows. I currently have the Habs as the favorite on the RUMOUR CHART for Briere with a 50% chance of him signing. Brendan Shanahan: The Habs were runner up in the Shanny sweeps last summer and if they can manage to woo him away from NY, Shanny may just go and play in Montreal. I have him at 25% going to Montreal, trailing the Rangers and tied with the Wings. Zubrus: There is a growing belief that DZ could return to Montreal. He does fill some size holes and could help defensively as well as pitch in offensively. I have the Habs as #2 to get Zubrus, trailing only the Islanders. Todd Bertuzzi: A great fit if healthy for the Habs. They tried to get him via trade prior to the Luongo deal I am told. On THE RUMOUR CHART, I have Bertuzzi listed with the Habs Being the Favorite at 35%. Yashin: Just say No" This whole thing would be comical but his suggestions of Higgins and or Komisarek being "dangled" as trade bait is lunacy. By the way Ek, Higgins hasn't been a centre for years! I also think that Kostitsyn is better then a 5 on the depth chart, behind a guy who isn't even playing for the habs.Ek will change his mind when he pots 25-30 this season. Sammy as bad as he is isn't a fourth line winger either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nasty Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 (edited) Shanahan was hours away from signing in Montreal... Edited June 13, 2007 by Mr. Nasty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Aside from his awful depth charts, he hit most things head on. Oh, the Esposito thing is kinda dumb too since even if he drops to us we would probably pass on him, and he is suggesting we trade up for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 (edited) Simple, the talented players have to be the talented players. They aren't. Kosty will play with Pleks and Higgins. I'll remind you once they were put together they were the Habs best line. Primeua can play with Chipchura and Johnson or young 3rd line RW 4th line is Begin lapierre Boogard. Grabovski is a center, so one will have to move if he is to get time next year. Again, he is another smurf who gets hit alot. Like it or not, the bigger tougher teams dominate the other teams in the league. Please know one say Buffalo is small, they aren't. They aren't tiny, but they are smaller then the "smurfs" you call the canadiens. They have the same number of players under 6' that the Canadiens do (at 7, Toronto the same) except Buffalo has 17 players under 200 lbs where the habs have 8 (toronto has 12, not including goalies on any team) Pretty sad when the media brainwashes the fans that cheer for the team as well. Edited June 13, 2007 by Habitforming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Aside from his awful depth charts, he hit most things head on. Oh, the Esposito thing is kinda dumb too since even if he drops to us we would probably pass on him, and he is suggesting we trade up for him. Having Perezhogin in the depth chart as well as saying that Gainey is thinking about trading Komisarek or Higgins just shows that Eklund has paid no attention the to the Canadiens and really just posts what ever BS he pulls out of his ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l<OV4L3V Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 How about we start a Non-Eklund Rumour Thread...cause everything that comes out of that guys mouth is bullshit...lets face it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) How about we start a Non-Eklund Rumour Thread...cause everything that comes out of that guys mouth is bullshit...lets face it He isn't completely full of it, I'll give him that. But his knowledge of the Canadiens and what they might or might not do is horrid. (He claims that the Canadiens are his second favorite team ) Since this is the rumor thread, and the Yashin wagon has been destroyed. Why not try to sign Lindros? He has medical issues for sure but he wouldn't cost more then $1M and he would look great with Latendresse. He might actually find his nerve and game in Montreal. Edited June 14, 2007 by Habitforming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I don't understand why everyone's "fix" is old washed up players that don't really improve the team. BG has said numerous times he is deveping from within and youth and that's what he is doing. He still has a few contracts that he needs to rid the team of but i really don't see any big signings or trades coming. Smaller trades or moving garbage is what you'll see. Patience grasshopper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonus Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) BTW, here is Ek's Habs free agent forcaster. Enjoy. Habs fans would have Gainey's head if he traded either Higgins or Komi to move up and get Espo. He also doesn't realize Higgins plays the left wing. http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=8003 wow.. 5 minutes of my life I'm never getting back. I could see maybe packaging draft picks to move up, but I don't think teams ahead of us particularly want what the habs would be willing to give up. Although in all honesty, how far would the habs really have to move up to pick Angelo? Habs pick 12th right? and Central Scouting has him at 8th among NA skaters. Now, I know Central Scouting isn't an infallible predictor of draft choices, but it seems like its not implausible that either Espo falls to us, or we are talking about moving up like 2 or 3 spots. Couldn't pairing a 1st with a 2nd or 3rd get that done possibly? I must admit that I don't really keep up with the juniors, etc... or draft prognosticating in general, but what am I missing here? Edited June 14, 2007 by simonus punctuation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) I don't understand why everyone's "fix" is old washed up players that don't really improve the team. BG has said numerous times he is deveping from within and youth and that's what he is doing. He still has a few contracts that he needs to rid the team of but i really don't see any big signings or trades coming. Smaller trades or moving garbage is what you'll see. Patience grasshopper. I never once said fix as you quoted. It was merely a possibility to consider. I figure if half the membership of this board is all for Yashin (at a low cost of $2M or less that is) then why not consider others at the same cost that have the same risk factor. I don't believe that Lindros is old or washed up at this point and since some people around here consider Grabovski to be a "smurf" then at least Lindros might be big enough for them. wow.. 5 minutes of my life I'm never getting back. I could see maybe packaging draft picks to move up, but I don't think teams ahead of us particularly want what the habs would be willing to give up. Although in all honesty, how far would the habs really have to move up to pick Angelo? Habs pick 12th right? and Central Scouting has him at 8th among NA skaters. Now, I know Central Scouting isn't an infallible predictor of draft choices, but it seems like its not implausible that either Espo falls to us, or we are talking about moving up like 2 or 3 spots. Couldn't pairing a 1st with a 2nd or 3rd get that done possibly? I must admit that I don't really keep up with the juniors, etc... or draft prognosticating in general, but what am I missing here? Your not missing anything, and you are right on the money. If the habs only have to move up 2-3 spots for Esposito (I hope they don't take him) it would only cost the 12th pick and the second rounder (maybe only one of the two third rounders we have instead of the second). Odds are that Esposito will still be there. St.Louis is high on him though and might take a huge gamble at the top to get him. Edited June 14, 2007 by Habitforming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 sorry, i wasn't specifically talking about you, more in general. I have no problem with others suggested players. I just point out what Gainey has stated numerous times. You can also tell by his moves and lack of moves that he is building for the future. Samsonov was a desperate move to maintain a playoff spot until the turnover happens. Grabovski is a smurf. You can't argue that one. I also agree they need to get bigger. Lindros is one hit away from his career being over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 sorry, i wasn't specifically talking about you, more in general. I have no problem with others suggested players. I just point out what Gainey has stated numerous times. You can also tell by his moves and lack of moves that he is building for the future. Samsonov was a desperate move to maintain a playoff spot until the turnover happens. Grabovski is a smurf. You can't argue that one. I also agree they need to get bigger. Lindros is one hit away from his career being over. Grabovski is not a smurf at 5'11 and 185lbs (Samsonov is a smurf 5'8") and the need to get bigger is waaaaaay overstated as I showed in the post yesterday about teams being bigger then the "smurf" Canadiens. As for Lindros he might very well be one hit away from ending his career but really, who isn't? Lindros hasn't had a single concussion in 2 years atleast (although he has had other injuries eg. wrist, groin etc) Even if he went down with an injury right away, what does it cost us? Nothing if he goes on the IR for a certain length of time insurance pays his salary and the cap hit would only be $1M if he does play off and on. The point is, he really isn't that big of risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlétique.Canadien Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) Lindros is zero risk. If he's injured, it's off the books and we can call up a youngster. When healthy, Eric is still lethal. It's amazing how quickly we can forget how nasty he was in 2006 against us while being a Leaf. Edited June 14, 2007 by ATHLÉTIQUE.CANADIEN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Lindros is zero risk. If he's injured, it's off the books and we can call up a youngster. When healthy, Eric is still lethal. It's amazing how quickly we can forget how nasty he was in 2006 against us while being a Leaf. So then someone actually agrees with me today?!?!?!?! Yay!!!!!! been one of those days, know what I mean? Also, your avatar. Is S.Kostitsyn gonna try to get # 47? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlétique.Canadien Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) So then someone actually agrees with me today?!?!?!?! Yay!!!!!! been one of those days, know what I mean? Also, your avatar. Is S.Kostitsyn gonna try to get # 47? At development camps and at training camp last year he sported #47 However, the Habs website says #15 - we'll see in time I guess. Right now it's Downey's so I don't know Edited June 14, 2007 by ATHLÉTIQUE.CANADIEN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Lindros doesn't want to play in Quebec. Yashin said he wants to come here. That's why we're discussing Yashin and not Lindros. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlétique.Canadien Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Lindros doesn't want to play in Quebec. Has he truly stated that or is it no "Quebec City" only? And yes, Lindros probably won't come to Montreal. I was illustrating the positives that Eric still can bring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_Habs_Fan Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Isnt Esposito another Ribeiro? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfposi Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) I would say so...he very much reminds me of Ribs. That said...with the right coach, mentor and team leadership (i.e. not lazy Russians), he could become a dominant player. Ribs became soft because a) He made the wrong friends, B- the coach did not hold him accountable for his work ethic, and c) the Montreal women got to him! Edited June 14, 2007 by cfposi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 I would say so...he very much reminds me of Ribs. That said...with the right coach, mentor and team leadership (i.e. not lazy Russians), he could become a dominant player. Ribs became soft because a) He made the wrong friends, B- the coach did not hold him accountable for his work ethic, and c) the Montreal women got to him! Well, if Esposito has potential to be a 'dominant player' that's more than Ribeiro ever had at the NHL level. Even a fully-committed Ribeiro would be unlikely to be more than a second-line C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dark_faerie87 Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Grabovski is not a smurf at 5'11 and 185lbs (Samsonov is a smurf 5'8") and the need to get bigger is waaaaaay overstated as I showed in the post yesterday about teams being bigger then the "smurf" Canadiens. As for Lindros he might very well be one hit away from ending his career but really, who isn't? Lindros hasn't had a single concussion in 2 years atleast (although he has had other injuries eg. wrist, groin etc) Even if he went down with an injury right away, what does it cost us? Nothing if he goes on the IR for a certain length of time insurance pays his salary and the cap hit would only be $1M if he does play off and on. The point is, he really isn't that big of risk. Damn, that means I'm a smurf! As for Lindros, if we can sign him, what the hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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